Chapter 80: Chapter 78 – Goals For The Future

Karin was almost twelve years old. It had been four and a half years since Jun Uchiha had brought her back from the Land of Grass. There was little chance her mom was still alive. However, she wasn’t the only Uzumaki in Konoha. There was the other Uzumaki. The one who was blond, who laughed out loud, and whose glowing chakra hid a whirlwind of suffocating darkness within… Kyubi's jinchuriki.

No one had told Karin he was the jinchuriki. It was an S-rank secret. But after Jun told her the story of Mito Uzumaki who sealed the Nine-Tails inside her, and Kushina Uzumaki who was brought from Uzushio to replace Mito… Karin knew how to line up the clues. She knew how special her clan chakra was. The chakra chains, the talent for Fuinjutsu, the inhuman endurance of the Uzumaki… It made them perfect receptacles for the Biju.

Karin felt sorry for the other Uzumaki. But she didn't want to know him, she didn't want him to claim any kinship with her. It would have only gotten her into trouble. And then... He wasn't a real member of her family. He didn't know anything about his heritage.

Karin was a real Uzumaki, like her mother before her. But the other… He was only Uzumaki in name. She resented him for that, for having the right to have that name as if he were one of them when he knew nothing of Uzushio.

Anyway, Karin would be Genin in less than three months…. And Jun was now going to teach her more complex seals than the ones they had studied so far. Jun had taught her the basics of Fuinjutsu so far. What it was, how it worked, and how to recognize the most commonly used seals in Konoha.

Fuinjutsu was complicated in that it essentially stemmed from the will of the one using it, transmitted through their chakra. For a Jutsu to work, it required chakra control and a certain amount of power. In Fuinjutsu, control and power were determined by the design of the Seal. What was needed for the seal to be functional was a perfect design, which often required time, but above all, the will was crucial. Jun knew how to imprint a seal on the ground just by touching it with his finger, and that was enough to create gigantic explosions.

In short, Fuinjutsu was about willpower and drawings. Except that the drawings in question required excellent calligraphy, perfect memorization of symbols, and the different interactions between them... And of course, time. This was the problem with seals in combat. Ninjutsu can be thrown immediately. A seal must be prepared. Only Jun could imprint the design of a seal in his photographic memory to restore it effortlessly afterward thanks to his Sharingan. The Dojutsu was like a cheat code.

The first seals Karin had drawn were explosive notes. Jun had invented some of them. Karin couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her sensei's talent. Jun had invented some seals even before he was a genin. But he was an Uchiha. His legacy was supposed to be the Katon, and his Sharingan. Karin was a pure Uzumaki, and all she had of her clan's heritage were a few unsung tales she was terrified to forget. She wanted to be the Fuinjutsu expert. And yet… She was just a normal student. It was Jun who was a prodigy, and she felt it was unfair.

But Karin was also ashamed to think that. It wasn't like Jun had stolen something rightfully hers… on the contrary. If Jun hadn't brought her back from Kusa, Karin would never have learned Fuinjutsu. She would have stayed in the land of Grass, watching her mother wither away until the abuses of the Kusa ninjas finally killed her and these brutes brought their attention to Karin.

In the end, it was only a small regret. Karin had plenty of other talents and paths open to her. She had an excellent sensory ability; she had great chakra reserves; she was not bad at Taijutsu, and she could become very good at Ninjutsu… She was Jun's apprentice, and the latter taught her more than Fuinjutsu.

Thus, Karin had learned to mix the Uchiha taijutsu style with what was taught at the Academy. She also knew two C-rank Doton jutsus. It wasn’t too bad. She would learn even more when she became Genin.

Jun wanted to be a jonin-sensei. Karin knew he had applied for it. The latter was entering his twentieth year, and that was the age at which most jonins were assigned their first team. When Karin's class graduated, the Uchiha clan leader had every chance of being awarded three students. But probably not Karin. It could be seen as favoritism.

It was more than likely that his apprentice would not be assigned to him. Karin would be placed under the guardianship of another jonin. She would remain Jun's apprentice, of course, but it would happen in parallel with her team training. The good news was that Karin would have two senseis in a way… But she would have to be part of a team with people.

She wasn’t very excited about it. She was hoping to be placed with Neji, but that was also unlikely. Their teachers at the Academy kept saying they were too close to each other and that they should befriend other students.

However, this was a matter for the future. In the meantime, she was studying Fuinjutsu. Today, she was studying seals a little more complex than explosive notes. So complex that Karin wasn't quite sure what she was examining.

She looked up from the drawing. Usually, they studied in the garden, outside. But it was cold. So Jun had settled in the living room and invaded the space a bit. All of his scrolls covered the dining room table. He was hunched over a copy of the same seal, which he was studying with a… Karin would have called it a microscope, but it would have required the thing to look like a scientific tool. It was a mix between a magnifying glass and a disco ball, connected to some sort of printer that unrolled a roll of parchment instead of spitting out sheets of paper. The seal observed was amplified, diffracted, and the image which was printed on the roll as it unrolled had only a very vague resemblance to the seal observed by the mysterious ball.

Karin knew that it was a kind of technological magnifying glass for seals, which made it possible to see things with great precision. Jun had vaguely mentioned it before. Besides, it was mainly to complain about not having one at home...

“I thought that this kind of thing should not leave the Hokage Building,” she frowned.

“The Amplifier? Yes. Normally, access is quite restricted. There is only one in the world, created by the Nidaime. But I've been working on this seal for a year… no, almost two… so now the Research and Development Section trusts me enough to lend it to me.”

He finished his close-up photocopy of said seal, and removed the roll of parchment from the printer, before placing a new one.

“Hmm,” Karin mused, resting her chin on her hand. “If you've been working on this seal for two years, there's no way I'll decipher it in five minutes.”

“No, that's why I told you to take all the time you need. And you don't have to decipher it entirely. Tell me what you think… What catches your eye… Neji, can you come for a minute?”

For some mysterious reason, Neji had been invited to spend the day here. He was absent-mindedly doing his homework in a corner and eagerly abandoned it to join Jun.

Karin sighed again. Izumi was on a mission, and Sasuke was hanging out around the village alone. Kazuma was at home, also in the living room. The latter had been putting bandages on his face to try and change the way it looked. The more time passed, the more his resemblance to Neji was obvious. Even with his black eyes and short hair, he had the same features as his brother. He wore loose-necked t-shirts like Sasuke, boots like Jun, and purple colors clothes like Izumi. He looked like an Uchiha. But still, Kazuma resembled Neji too much, and he couldn't afford others to notice it.

Karin returned her attention to the Seal that Jun had asked her to observe. It was still mysterious to her. One thing was sure, it was not Jun’s creation. There were no traces of the Fuinjutsu patterns Jun had developed. It was the work of another… And an expert, apparently. Karin was pretty sure she recognized something related to control, and something related to mind, but the two were separated…

"Alright," she capitulated. “I don't understand this thing. It's mind control, or part of it is mind control, but the rest... No idea!”

“I would have been a little surprised if you had solved everything,” Jun confessed.

“A year is a long time to decipher something. What is this seal?”

Jun seemed to be weighing his words.

“This type of seal is technically classified as Juinjutsu. A part of Fuinjutsu related to Curse Marks to control someone.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Karin saw Neji stiffen, and knew exactly what the Hyuga was thinking. Jun nodded and continued:

“Of course, the details are classified. This seal was placed on a person's tongue, and the Hokage tasked me with finding out exactly what its effects are and how to remove it other than by cutting out the victim's tongue. So far, I've been able to deduce that the seal prevents the person from revealing information. There is a mental part, which is activated by intention and memory, and a physical part which… impacts the bearer of the seal. It ranges from swelling of the tongue to impede speech, to paralysis, or even damaging the throat.”

There was a short silence. Kazuma, who had frozen with his bandage in his hand, didn't even bother to pretend not to listen to their conversation anymore.

"Revolting," Neji muttered.

“Where did the Hokage find this?” Karin blurted out with a sort of horrified fascination.

Jun sketched a mirthless smile.

“It's classified. Highly classified.”

Karin didn't insist. Jun had already revealed a lot to them. A seal that ensured a person doesn’t talk… The fact that the Hokage wanted to remove this seal from people without having to hurt them, implied that those victims were people Konoha cared about…

“The fact that I have the Amplifier at home also gives me an unexpected opportunity to do something that is implicitly forbidden, but which no one has thought to write a law against. Neji, Karin, is there a patrol around the house?”

The Uzumaki and Neji both scanned the surroundings without protest.

“There is a Police patrol nearby,” Karin said, after briefly frowning in concentration.

“One of them is an Inuzuka so he could potentially hear us,” Neji pointed.

Jun activated his Sharingan. For Karin, nothing changed, but she assumed that a Genjutsu had been cast on their conversation. Before his fight against Itachi, Jun was not very good at Genjutsu. But since he had started using his Dojutsu freely, he had developed new techniques and had discovered with joy that he could now throw lots of Genjutsu that would have given him a hard time in the past. The Sharingan was a great shortcut for illusions techniques.

“What law are we going to break this time?” Karin asked.

“He said there was no law against what he was about to do,” Neji pointed without seeming to believe it.

Jun looked thoughtful.

“Hmm. Technically there's a law against what I'm going to do. But it is quite poorly written and simply forbids interference in the affairs of a Konoha clan. But I don't intend to take charge, just help out. So technically it's legal.”

“If it was illegal, it wouldn't have stopped you anyway,” Kazuma pointed innocently.

He ended up sticking his bandage on his right cheek. Karin looked at him with a critical eye. The simple white square on his face was enough to break the angle of his jaw and create an artificial asymmetry that made his resemblance to Neji less obvious. Who would have thought that a simple bandage would be so useful?

"It's true," Jun admitted. “But hey, we're ninjas. Legality is overrated.”

Neji looked like he was holding back from rolling his eyes. He crossed his arms, and contented himself with asking stoically:

“So? What are we doing?”

"Oh," Jun said, clearing his throat. “I would like to look into the Caged Bird Seal with the Amplifier. I hope to find a way to disable yours, and for the long term, remove it from all branch family members.”

There was silence.

Karin blinked. She could imagine the enormity of what that meant, but it seemed almost incongruous to her. Jun was talking about… destroying a fundamental element of the Hyuga clan. She almost let out a nervous laugh and glanced briefly at the others. Kazuma's smile froze on his lips, and his gaze on Jun became intense, almost shocked. But Neji...

Neji didn't look shocked. Neji looked like he had stopped breathing, and his eyes were blazing with mixed emotions.

“Do you... do you want to…”

“Abolish the main and branch family system,” Jun concluded with a serious air. “Destroy the imbalance that exists between members of the Hyuga clan. Ensure that if a seal is used to protect the Byakugan, it does not enslave those who wear it.”

Neji gulped and turned away violently. He had his back to Jun, but Karin could see him. She saw him raise his two trembling fists to his mouth as if he was trying to physically repress an overly violent emotion.

“Jun,” Kazuma muttered, staring at his brother. “How long have you been preparing for this?”

Jun seemed to be weighing his words.

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“Since you were born, roughly.”

“You… But why?” Kazuma asked.

Jun replied in a low voice, his eyes burning with intense emotion.

“I’ve always had plans for the future. I anticipate scenarios, and I plan ways out of them. That's why Shisui is the only person outside of my family that I gave my Raging Rupture Seal to. I have a goal, and it’s not just about us surviving. We must prosper as well.”

His gaze fell on Neji, who had turned around, before continuing.

“Shisui was my friend, but his Sharingan stirred up the envy of others, so I gave him a seal that wouldn't prevent his death but would prevent his eyes from being used by an enemy. The Hokage is the protector of the village, but he's easily manipulated by his advisors, so I've built a power base of my own.”

Karin was surprised by the last piece of information. But it brought a lot of things to light. For example, the reason why Jun hung out with some clan leaders regularly. Or why he was involved with organizations such as the Police and the Division.

“The Hyuga clan is powerful,” Jun said. “It's a good ally to have and a dangerous enemy to make. But I find their system cruel. I don't like it, and it poses a danger to Kazuma. But above all, they are a danger to you, every day, and I want you to be safe, Neji.”

Neji gave a short, joyless laugh.

“Oh, so you had this idea for me?”

"No," Jun readily admitted. “I had the idea the first time I started studying Fuinjutsu. I found an interest in it when Kazuma was born. But it was you who gave me the necessary motivation.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Jun took a deep breath, and Karin guessed that despite his calm air and the calm tone of his speech, he was nervous. His gaze was fixated on Neji.

“The choice is yours. I don't want to hurt innocent people. But I would always choose you before a stranger, even an innocent one. I want the annihilation of the Hyuga family system. But it's your clan. Your life. It’s your forehead that is marked. I offer to give you the keys to your cage, and this offer remains valid even if you tell me that you refuse that I touch the rest of the clan. But if you want to end the existing system... I'm here. I'll help you. I will protect you.”

Shinobis didn't reveal their emotions. To display one's beliefs and feelings too clearly was to display possible weaknesses that an enemy could exploit. But Jun was more demonstrative than most shinobi, but he liked to be in control.

Karin also knew Jun was a protector. All his ambitions, even the most altruistic ones, revolved around protecting those who were dear to him. It was a selfish desire. And if his loved ones suffer? Well, he may burn the world to ashes in his anger.

The room was silent. All eyes were on Neji. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Then he bowed very low and said in a strangled voice.

“I…I'll be grateful.”

And Jun got to work.

The seal on Neji's forehead looked like a simple cross, but beneath the Amplifier it unfolded like a flower blooming, revealing intricate intertwined designs. Karin was not advanced enough in her study to know exactly how the seal worked.

But Jun was going to analyze it, decode it, master it, counter it, and that was just the beginning. It would take him months, years, maybe his whole life, but he hadn't hesitated for a moment. Karin thought back to his voice when he said that he had decided to destroy the Hyuga class system. Jun was impulsive and fiery, but he had something cold about him, a side that allowed him to plan for years. It was a bit scary, to be honest.

Karin had been welcomed into their family when they were still outcasts when Hazuki was weakened and Kazuma was still too small to defend himself. She had had the right to Jun's teaching when the latter was only a nameless shinobi, without ties to the prestigious Division or even to the Uchiha clan. Karin had been privy to their secrets, from Kazuma's parentage to the danger posed by Danzo.

Karin was happy to be included and accepted in the family, in the clan. They had her loyalty the same way she had theirs. Karin would never let anyone bite her, she had enough nightmares about what happened to her mom in the past. However, when Jun had revealed to her that his Sharingan would make him blind one day, Karin had made a slight movement towards her sleeve, suddenly ready to offer her chakra.

She knew she was one of the few people for whom Jun would unleash his destructive fury. She was one of them. Karin would never be used, beaten, and tortured as her mom had been, and it wasn't just because she was strong. It was because she had Jun as her protector, and the Uchiha clan would never let an enemy lay their hands on her. If Karin wanted to see an enemy killed or a hierarchical system destroyed, she only needed to ask. Jun would do anything to protect her.

But Karin didn’t ask for anything. She was free. She had no vengeance to seek against anyone. Not even against Kusa, that had probably killed her mother. She hated that village, but she didn't think she hated it enough to destroy it in cold blood. Not like Neji hated the Hyugas. Karin didn't have that frozen rage inside her. Her anger was brief and explosive, like a volcanic eruption. She could be resentful and vindictive, but she didn't think she could be cruel.

And yet, as she watched Jun begin to decipher the seal, she realized she had plenty of reasons to seek revenge. The way Kusa shinobis had treated her family. The way the Uzumaki clan had disappeared. The way survivors were hunted down, captured, abused, used, and mistreated. Yes, Karin had plenty of reasons to be angry, to want to see the world burn, or to coldly plan her revenge. However, she didn't have the courage. Or maybe it was the motivation she lacked. It seemed so… pointless. Yes, she was angry about all those things. She knew it. But she also had so much besides that anger. Weariness, acceptance, but also… determination, gratitude, love, and hope for the future.

“Jun-sensei,” she suddenly called.

Jun looked up from the parchment on which Neji's seal had just finished being inscribed.

“Yes?”

Karin readjusted her glasses, and inhaled slowly:

“Sensei..”

All of Jun's attention was on her, and Karin forced herself to stand up straight.

“I would like to revive the Uzumaki clan.”

Kazuma made a sound similar to a squirrel being stepped on, and even Neji looked taken aback. It wasn't something she had told them.
Jun also looked surprised, but he regained his composure faster than the two boys and seemed to consider his answer.

“You may have to get married.”

Karin had never been very into romance. She bristled as soon as it was necessary to trust someone other than those close to her... No, the idea of ​​going out with someone did not tempt her.

"Yeah," she chuckled. “And have children. But that's not hard. The hardest part would be to gather other Uzumakis and get them accepted by the village... Teach Naruto where he comes from, one day, and force him to prove himself worthy of his surname... The clan will have to be revived, and not just the Uzumaki gene, but also our traditions.

"Ambitious," Jun commented.

Karin did not blink or avoid his gaze.

“Will you help me?”

“Of course,” her sensei replied immediately. “I just want you to know that it might take longer than destroying the Hyuga clan system.

Neji tensed at the reminder. Karin just shrugged and smiled.

“It's fine. I have my whole life ahead of me.”

There was silence. Then, to lighten the mood, Jun turned to Kazuma and asked in a light tone.

“And you? Any request for your big brother?”

Kazuma blinked, taken aback. He seemed to be still recovering from the shock of these two successive announcements. Destroy a clan system, revive another… Then he narrowed his eyes and said.

“I want you to let me skip a class again. It’s so boring. I need to advance to the next year… now.”

This time Jun didn't hesitate for a second.

“Out of the question.”

Kazuma looked like a beaten puppy.

“But Jun… I would be in Sasuke's class!”

“You already skipped a year!”

“But I'm so bored!”

Jun continued to protest and Kazuma continue to insist. Karin and Neji exchanged a brief look. The young Uzumaki had to suppress a laugh. Yes, Jun was fiercely protective, and that was one of his best qualities as well as one of his biggest flaws. That was what made him a fierce, resentful, determined, and visionary shinobi.

But as far as Kazuma was concerned… sometimes he was almost too much. Help revive the Uzumaki clan; that was not a problem. Demolish centuries of Hyuga tradition? No problem. But let his little brother graduate at ten instead of twelve? That’s another story.

 

 

 

Note:

There will be a 'time skip' in the story, and things will resume when Naruto and company graduate from the Academy, become genins and get placed into teams.

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